8 Ways Very Busy People Find the Time to Be Very Well Read People

You could be reading a couple of books a month, or more, just by managing your time a little better.

Do you want to read more but feel like you don’t have the time? You are not alone. “Not enough time” is the most common excuse I hear people make against reading with greater frequency.

In reality though, there is plenty of time to read a few books a month. You probably “find the time” to watch Netflix or sports or scroll through Instagram, right? Reading more is actually just a question of priorities.

It can be challenging to prioritize reading, though. This is especially true when you have many other mentally draining activities on your plate each day. Of course there are all those friends of yours who talk about the latest TV shows, and you probably want to see what all the buzz is about.

That being said, it can be done. Prioritizing reading takes forming the right tendencies and making a concerted commitment. Here are eight habits that you can begin adopting today in order to devour more books and become a smarter person:

1. Get used to audiobooks.

Audiobooks are one of the best ways to begin reading more. You can download them directly to your phone and listen whenever you like. You could get started with a program like Audible today and receive two free books just for making an account.

Audiobooks are so valuable because of their ease of use. You need to be cautious of listening to a book without retaining the information, but absorbing audiobooks can be like a muscle. Many report that the more you listen and practice listening to books, the more information you retain. You can even begin listening at faster speeds to get through books more quickly.

“I have a hard time processing information that way” is a common excuse I hear about audiobooks. You should try it out, though, and be patient with yourself.

There is plenty of time during the day when you are occupied by menial tasks like walking or doing the dishes during which you could listen and focus some attention on a book. Taking advantage of this underutilized time can skyrocket the number of books you consume.